Aeroplane.



C. B. WESTEBMAN.

AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22, 1911. 1,028,409, Patented June 4, 1912.

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O. B. WESTERMAN.

AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22, 1911.

Patented June 4, 1912.

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0. BIWESTERMAN.

AEROPLANB.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 22, 1911. 1,028,409. Patented June 4, 1912.

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UNITED s'r 'rns- PATENT OFFICE- CHARLES BECK WESTERMAN, or COLUMBIA, rmiNsYLvANIA.

ACROPLANE.

To all whom it may concern:

30 it. known that I, CHARLES E. ESTER- uax, a citizen of the United States, residing. at Colunilna, in the county of Lancaster and.

State of Pennsylvania, have invented cer' tain new and useful Improvements in Aeroplanes, of which the following is specification.

My invention relates to improvements in aeroplanes, the ob ect of the invention being .to provide an improved hinged and elastic held stay wires connected above and below the planes ad acent their outer ends, where by the outer ends of the planes are allowed independent upward and downward movement within certain limits,but normally held against movement, and only operated by sudden gusts of wind. i

A further object is to provide improved means for holding" the planes of airships either of the monoplane or biplane type,

which will allow elastic movement of SitlCl planes.

ith these and other objects in View, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, and combinations, and arrangements of parts, as will be more fully hereinafter described andppinted out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1,

is a view in front elevation illustrating one form of my improvements showing one of the planes partly broken away. Fig. 2, is a broken plan view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is a view similar to Fig. 1, illustrating amodr tication. Figs. 4, 6, and 7, are views of details of the construction shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 8, is a view similar to Fig. 1 illustrating another modification in which my improvements are illustrated in connection with a biplane, and Figs. 9, 10, and 11, are views illustrating details of the construction "shown in Fig. 8.

1, represents a fore-and-aft frame which is provided centrally with a vertical post 2, which is braced by suitable stays 3. u

4, 4, represent the wings or planes whlch Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J 1 119 4, 1912,

Application filed November 22, 1911. Serial No. 661,747.

' project laterally from the frame 1, and have a hinge connection therewith. This hinge connection may be made in various ways. 1 I have shown a simple lacing 5 which serves to connect the plane and frame, and allow hinged movement of the planes.- The outer rods 6 of the frame of the planes t have metal sleeves 7 secured thereon, and these 'sleeves are made with eyes 8 positioned at an angle to each other, one eye projecting above the plane, andthe other below the plane. Stay wires 9 connect the eyes 8 with metal brackets 10 fixed to the respectiveends of posts 2, and these stay wires 9 are prov ded between their ends with coiled springs 11. The four coiled springs are of .the same strength, so that the planes are held in their normal position and return to the normalposition when they are moved out of such positionsby sudden gusts of winds. In other words, if the machine when in flight encounters a squall or sudden gust of air which strikes one plane, this plane will move upwardly or downwardly as the case may be, so as to accommodate itself to such air, and will then return to normal position. If the planes were rigid, the sudden gust of air would be apt tothrow the machine over to one side,.or up side down, and I believe my improved elastic supports, which connect the. free ends of the planes with the rigid portion of the machine, per-- mit the machine to automatically care for itself in various conditions of the air.

'In the modificationillustrated in Figs. 3,

4t, 5, 6, and 7 my improvements are shown in connection with the same type of airship as illustrated in Fig. 1, but in this modification instead of employing the springsll between the ends of the stay wires, l'pass the stay wires 12 over pulleys 13 .at the ends of the post 14, and provide coiled springs 15 in said stay wires between the pulleys and fixed brackets 16 on the post. The spri'ngs 15 therefore perform the same function as the springs 11, allowing the wings or planes to move vertically in accordance with the air pressures.

In Figs. 8', 9, 10, and 11, I illustrate my improvements in connection with a biplane in which 17 represents a central frame to which a vertical post 18 is secured centrally and projects above and below the frame as clearly shown. To the frame 17, the parallel planes -19 are connected by couplings 2O asseen most clearly in Figs. 10 and 11;

These couplings 20 comprise two members 21 and 22. Member 21 is in the form of an elbow to receive the rods 26. and 27, 'which ears'and sleeve are connected by a hinge pin 25, the members will be hinged together.-

Member-22 constitutes a collar to receive the end lofthe 'side'bar 26 of plane l9, and the outerfends of ;these planes are connected to the outside frames 27 in the same manner as; are .the innerends-of the planes to the frame 17. In otherwords, at all four corners of .the four lanes-l9, couplin s 20 are pro-. ividedwhlchjcbnnect the sald planes with -the central -frame 17, and the" outer frames 1 21, and allow these planes 19 to. swing u-pwardly andfdownwardly at their outer ends,

thein nnef ends being hinged to frame 17,.

and theframes 20moving v'erticalwith the planes. .The free ends of the planes 'l 'liafle stay wires 28 secured thereto, and these'stay' wires 28'are passed over pulleys 29 on the ends ofpost l8, and are fixed to drums 30 mounted to turn in brackets 31 on the post. In these drums 30, convolute springs 32 are located, and exert a normal pull upon the stay wires to hold the planes in their normal positions, yet allow the planes to move,

vertically in accordance with the gusts of Wind, and return to normal positions when said usts of wind have passed. It will there ore be noted that with' the several forms of my invention, elastic supporting means are provided above and below' thefree ends of the planes, and said planes arehinged at their inner'ends, so that they areheld in their'normal position for flight by reasonof the balancing action of their spring holding members. The planes are therefore sensitive to differences in pressure and velocity of the air, and will moveindependently within certain limits, so as to care for such inequalities in the air pressure and ve locity, and operate to maintain an automatic equilibrium. l

Various other slight changes might be made in the general form and arrangement of parts described without departing from my invention, and hence I do not limit myself to the precise details set forth, but consider myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

" .Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is 1. An aeroplane comprising a rectangular central frame, laterally projecting planes having hinged connection at their inner ends to the upper end of said central frame, and elastic'stays connecting the outer ends of said planes above and below with said frame, said stays so connected as to permit each plane to move entirely independent of the other plane, substantially as described.

2. An aeroplane comprising a rectangular centralframe, an upwardly projecting post on. the frame, laterally projecting Wings having hinged connection'at their inner ends to the upper end of said frame, spring stays connecting the'upper end of said post with the outer ends of said planes, and other. spring stays connectin the outer ends of said planes with said rame, said stays so connected as to permit each plane to move entirely independent of the other plane,

substantiallyas described. 3. An aeroplane comprising acentral rectangular frame, laterally projecting planes having hinged connect1on.at their .inner ends to the '.upper end of said frame, elastic means supported by theframe and connected to the outer ends of the planes above and below the planes, said-stays so connected as to permit each plane to moveentirelyindependent of the other plane, substantially as described. p

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES BECK WES-TERMAN.

HARE? T. HAIL..

Copies of this patent may be o'fitblined for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). G. s 

